Taylor Swift以认真对待自身知识产权而闻名，竭力在全球保护自己的专辑和歌曲名称。然而，在最新专辑名称《The Life of a Showgirl》注册商标时，她遇到了困难。此外，她还面临艺人Maren Flagg提起的商标侵权诉讼。Flagg在美国拥有“Confessions of a Showgirl”商标注册，并且已经使用该商标12年，以自己作为歌舞女郎的经历为主题进行现场表演。
Taylor Swift is known for taking her intellectual property seriously and has vigorously protected her albums and song titles worldwide. Her attempt to register the title of her latest record, “The Life of a Showgirl,” has proven challenging, and she is also facing a trade mark infringement lawsuit filed by a performer named Maren Flagg. Flagg owns a US trade mark registration for “Confessions of a Showgirl” and has used this brand for 12 years, performing a live cabaret show based on her life as a showgirl.
在注册申请程序中，一位美国审查员认为，Taylor的商标与Flagg的商标极为相似，两者都包含了“OF A SHOWGIRL”文字。该审查员认为，Flagg应得到免受“因后来者使用近似商标而造成的负面商业影响”的保护——使用该措辞来描述当下这个时代最著名的流行偶像之一，耐人寻味。
On the registration front, a US examiner has taken the view that Taylor’s mark is confusingly similar to Flagg’s due to the shared “OF A SHOWGIRL” wording, and that Flagg should be protected from “adverse commercial impact due to use of a similar mark by a newcomer” - an interesting choice of words to describe one of the biggest pop stars of our time.
Taylor的法律团队已经成功中止该申请的审理，让案件暂时搁置，以便他们优先处理Flagg在美国提起的更为紧迫的侵权诉讼。
Taylor’s legal team has secured suspension of the application, placing the matter on hold while they address the more pressing infringement lawsuit brought by Flagg in the US.
Flagg的律师们的核心主张是：“The Life of a Showgirl”的使用可能会导致反向混淆。换句话说，Taylor对该商标的使用会盖过Flagg对“Confessions of a Showgirl”商标的在先注册，导致公众误以为“原创的才是摹仿品”。
Flagg’s attorneys’ central argument is that the use of “The Life of a Showgirl” is likely to result in reverse confusion. In other words, Taylor’s use of the brand could overwhelm Flagg’s earlier registration for “Confessions of a Showgirl”, leading the public to believe that “the original is the imitation”.
Flagg的律师们最近对诉讼主张进行了修改，使该案件再次成为舆论焦点。这些修改主要涉及技术性问题，而非“反向混淆”主张本身。
The case is attracting headlines again following a recent amendment to the claim by Flagg’s attorneys, which mainly concerns technical issues rather than the reverse confusion argument itself.
Flagg以“Confessions of a Showgirl”为名的舞台剧已延展至书籍、播客和网络视频内容。表面看，这些作品与Taylor的“The Life of a Showgirl”有诸多相似之处。
Flagg’s theatre performances under “Confessions of a Showgirl” have expanded into a book, a podcast, and online video content. On paper, there are clear similarities between these products and Taylor’s “The Life of a Showgirl”.
不过，Swift的律师们的核心主张是，“OF A SHOWGIRL”这一表述在市场上已经很常见从而已失去独特性。他们引证了诸如 “Portrait of a Showgirl”, “The Last Showgirl”以及 “Confessions of a Vegas Showgirl” 等例子来支持这一观点，以证明Flagg的在先权利并未强大到足以阻止Taylor对“The Life of a Showgirl”的使用。
However, a relevant point raised by Swift’s attorneys is that the wording “OF A SHOWGIRL” is diluted in the marketplace. They cite examples such as “Portrait of a Showgirl”, “The Last Showgirl”, and “Confessions of a Vegas Showgirl”. This supports an argument that Flagg’s rights are not sufficiently strong to challenge Taylor’s use of “The Life of a Showgirl”.
作为一名英国商标律师，我不禁想知道，Flagg是否能够成功地证明与Swift专辑的任何潜在关联都会对其业务造成负面商业影响。同样有可能的是，Flagg反而能从此二商标之间存在的(有争议的)相似性中获益。
As a UK trade mark attorney, I wonder whether Flagg will be able to successfully argue that any potential association with Swift’s album would have an adverse commercial impact on her offering. It is equally possible that Flagg may financially benefit from the (arguable) similarities between the trade marks.
同样耐人寻味的是，Flagg的担忧在某种程度上可能因她自己提起的诉讼而进一步加剧。如果这位名气较小的艺人担心双方品牌之间会产生关联，那么对Taylor Swift提起商标诉讼或许并非避免这种关联的最佳方式。毫无疑问，Taylor的团队也会提出这一观点，当然，尽管最终还是要由美国法院来作出裁决——除非两位艺人在幕后达成和解。
It is also interesting that Flagg’s concerns may, in part, be amplified by her own lawsuit. If the lesser-known performer is worried about an association between the parties’ brands, bringing a trade mark lawsuit against Taylor Swift may not be the most effective way to avoid it. No doubt Taylor’s team will make this point as well, although US courts will ultimately decide the matter, unless, of course, the showgirls reach a settlement behind the curtains.
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联系作者 Contact the author
marcarvalho@marks-clerk.com
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